We are thrilled to share that the Center for L.I.F.E. (Leading the Integration of Faith & Entrepreneurship) in the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business has been named the winner of the 2025 Excellence in Specialty Entrepreneurship Education Award by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC)!
Each year, GCEC celebrates the very best in university-based entrepreneurship programs, and this recognition underscores the innovation, reach, and impact of the LIFE program. Previous winners of this award include Babson College, University of Colorado, and University College London—placing LIFE in inspiring company.
Why LIFE? Award Criteria & Highlights
The GCEC award criteria include program genesis, objectives, outcomes, replicability, and major achievements. The LIFE program stood out through its distinctive work at the intersection of faith and entrepreneurship:
- Research Leadership: Hosting the LIFE Research Conference, which has welcomed 1,000+ scholars from 30 countries in its first five years, publishing in Financial Times Top 50 journals, and launching the first Ph.D. seminar on Faith & Entrepreneurship with students from 10 countries.
- Teaching Innovation: Creating a turn-key, freely available Faith & Entrepreneurship course now used beyond Miami, and hosting the inaugural LIFE Teaching Conference in 2024 with 185+ educators from 25+ countries.
- Field-Building: Raising more than $13 million in funding to establish the Center, building research starter kits, syllabus exchanges, and scalable teaching tools that can be adopted by universities around the world.
A Team Effort
This recognition would not be possible without the dedication of the LIFE team: Dr. Brett Smith, Dr. Jen Bennett, Dr. Michael Conger, Dr. Cory Driver, Dr. Nathan French, Jeff Haanen, Dr. Kylie Heales, Tara Hoppe, Amanda Lawson, and Dr. Jessica Jones—along with the many students, alumni, donors, and partners who bring LIFE to life every day.
Two Awards in One Year
This honor from GCEC is the second national recognition in 2025. Earlier this year, the Center for L.I.F.E. received the Emerging Model Program Award from USASBE. Together, these awards reflect the Center’s growing role in shaping an emerging field of global significance.
We are deeply grateful for this recognition, inspired by the incredible community supporting us, and energized for what lies ahead.
